The Future of the Past: Arkansas Living History Association

2019 Annual Conference
            Preliminary Schedule

The Future of the Past:
 Historical Interpretation in an Ever-Changing
                 Modern World

                 February 22–24
             Little Rock, Arkansas

                 Hosted by
        Historic Arkansas Museum
       The Old State House Museum
                     Online registration at
               www.arkansaslivinghistory.com.
For more information, contact alhacommunications@gmail.com.

“The Future of the Past” Conference with
               keynote speaker Jim Lauderdale

Jim works as the museum supervisor for Fort Nisqually Living History Museum, part of
Metro Parks Tacoma, in Tacoma, Washington. He oversees the museum’s
administration, education program, events and public programs, curation of artifacts,
retail business in the museum’s store, and grounds and structural maintenance. In his
brief time at Fort Nisqually, he has co-authored the museum’s Long-Range Interpretive
Plan, worked with staff to complete the StEPs Program with AASLH, and the Core
Document Verification Program with AAM.

 Prior to Fort Nisqually, Jim managed Nash Farm in Grapevine, Texas. There, he
oversaw the education program delivering tours to thousands of students and families
each year; the public events program where he created several new event series
providing hands-on learning opportunities for the farm’s audience; the heritage
livestock program; the introduction of Speckled Sussex chickens and Gulf Coast Native
sheep to the farm; grounds and structural maintenance including the foundation
leveling of a 19th Century farmhouse and the construction of a cistern for a 19th Century
windmill; historic farming including a kitchen garden, field crops, and orchard; and the
farm’s volunteer program. During his tenure at Nash Farm, Jim co-founded the Texas
Living History Association and briefly served as the association’s president before
moving to Tacoma.

Jim now lives and works in Tacoma, Washington along with his wife, two children and
two dogs. They love the Pacific Northwest and see this being their home for some time.
He has been a member and advocate of ALHFAM since the Texas conference in 2012
and looks forward to serving the organization in any way he can.

Hotel Information
Residence Inn by Marriott Little Rock
219 Rivermarket Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201
Phone: 501-376-7200
$94.00 per night
Parking Fee $10 per night
Reservations close January 22, 2019
Group Name: Assocation of Living History
Use this link to book online:
Book your group rate for Assn of Living History

                               Host Site Information
Historic Arkansas Museum
200 E Third Street
Little Rock, AR 72201

Old State House Museum
300 W Markham
Little Rock, AR 72201

Saturday Evening Banquet:
Bill and Margaret Clark Room, 3rd Floor River Market Pavilion,
400 President Clinton Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201

   Apprentice, Journeyman, and Master Certifications
The Arkansas Living History Association encourages higher standards of living history
performances. The ALHA certification process was designed to recognize ALHA
members’ efforts, and to assist educators, parks and museum staff, living history event
sponsors, and others in identifying quality living historians that are historically/factually
accurate and skilled in public performance designed to educate the public.

Anyone wanting to begin or continue the process may sign up for the certification
training workshops. Any member of the Arkansas Living History Association who
desires to be certified as a journeyman level in a first- or third-person living history
performance will submit an application packet as posted on the website. For more
information, or to sign up for the Journeyman or Master certification contact Elista Istre:
elista_istre@yahoo.com.

Scholarships
ALHA offers scholarships to the annual conference that cover registration and a portion
of lodging expenses. Scholarship recipients must be members of ALHA, or must
become members upon acceptance. Scholarship recipients will also be asked to supply
an article for the ALHA newsletter.

To apply, email the following information to Aaron Loehndorf
aloehndorf@springdalear.gov by January 11th:
• Reason for wanting to attend the conference
• Reason for needing assistance
• Current area of study (students) or current position
• Year in school or length of time in position

Please provide as much detail as possible so that the committee can make
                        an informed decision.

                  Friday, February 23: Workshops

     For questions on workshops or sessions, contact Joleen Linson at
             Joleen.linson@arkansas.gov or (501) 324-9342

                                       8:00 a.m.
Registration Table Opens – Historic Arkansas Museum

                                     All Day
                               9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
ALHA Apprentice Workshop (Lunch Included)
Cost: $10
Full-day workshops covering the basics of Living History 101: creating a
character, basic performance skills, research, dealing with special
problems in living history, event planning basics, and other topics.
Certification guidelines can be downloaded from the Arkansas Living
History Association Website.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
ALHA Certification Board

Half Day
                          9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Behind the Big House: The Challenges of Interpreting Race and
Slavery through Living History (Lunch Included)
Cost: $15
Behind the Big House explores extant slave dwellings and interprets the
experiences of enslaved people who inhabited them. It includes living
history and lectures, highlights the important contributions African
Americans made to Arkansas’s history, and draws attention to issues of
slavery and race relations in discussions of Arkansas’s past. Through a
series of activities, presenters will outline challenges and engage
participants in discussions of best practices for interpreting slavery and
other sensitive topics.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Rachel Patton, Executive Director, Preserve Arkansas
Dr. Jodi Barnes, Arkansas Archeological Survey, UAM Station

Building and Using a Spring-Pole Wood Lathe (Lunch Included)
Cost: $10
The spring-pole lathe has been in use for centuries. This workshop will
discusss the construction of a “portable” wood lathe, demonstration of its
use, chisels, wood and historical projects that can be turned. If time allows
participants can take a tour on using the lathe.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Preston Ware, Oklahoma Historical Society

ALHA Journeyman Workshop (Lunch Included)
Cost: $10
The workshop will cover advanced living history material, including how to
receive Journeyman and Master Certification. Certification guidelines can
be downloaded from the Arkansas Living History Association website.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Peg Smith Room
ALHA Certification Board

Cooking Workshop: Breads “Flat, Quick, or Yeast?”
Cost: $15
Flat, quick, or yeast? So many names, so many ways to make bread. For
many the thought of making bread can be intimidating. When you add the
idea of doing so without the convenience of the modern oven or even bread
machine it seems impossible. In this workshop, examples of several
different types of breads will be prepared while using charcoal or wood fire
as the heat source.
Location: Brownlee Kitchen
Sheila Ballard, Historic Washington State Park

                                Half Day
                             1:00–4:00 p.m.

Bringing Social Dance Back to the Present (Includes Lunch)
Cost: $10
Learn early and mid-century dances and how you can use them to educate
the public about the positives of social and community dancing.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Josh Williams, ALHA President, Curator, Historic Washington State Park

Teaching with Technology: Videos and Interactive Exhibits (Includes
Lunch)
Cost: $10
We are all struggling with engaging a broader audience base. At Shiloh
Museum, we have updated our exhibits to include interactive technology
and also to create videos that can be posted online or shared as DVDs.
This session aims to show you what you can do on a limited budget and
with the resources already available to you. Neither of the presenters has a
formal degree in computer programming but can show you how any can do
what we have done. We will show projects created with XAML.net, Visual
Studio, Premiere Pro, Media Encoder and Adobe Encore. We will also
provide examples of free alternatives or software already available on most
workstations.
Participants might want to bring a laptop with programs preloaded but we
will have a laptop available for anyone who would like to try out some of the
programs discussed. Email session leaders if you want details on the
programs prior to the session.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater

Rachel Whitaker, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History,
rwhitaker@sprindalear.gov
Heather Costello, volunteer, Shiloh Museum of History and Washington
County Historical Society, clermorgaine@gmail.com

Cooking: Sweets and Treats
Cost: $15
Every year in November, Historic Washington State Park’s cast iron
cooking workshop is all about sweets and treats for the upcoming holidays.
Come and learn how to prepare some of the favorites from past workshops,
from sticky sweet caramel sauce to a not-so-sweet treat.
Location: Brownlee Kitchen
Sheila Ballard, Historic Washington State Park

                     Friday Evening Events

ALHA Journeyman Certification Review
4:30–6:00 p.m.
ALHA members wishing to complete their Journeyman and Master
certification must stand for the review panel. You must have already
received your Apprenticeship certification, notified the committee, and
completed all other requirements for Journeyman certification. All ALHA
members are invited to observe the review process.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater

Opening Potluck and Reception
5:30–8:30 p.m.
Historic Arkansas Museum
Welcome to Historic Arkansas Museum! Conference attendees are invited
to bring a historic delicacy to share during the potluck meal.

Conference Hospitality Room
TBD

Saturday, February 24: Sessions and Keynote

                                 7:00 a.m.
Registration Table Opens – Historic Arkansas Museum

                           Keynote Address
                            8:00–8:45 a.m.

The State of Living History
Jim Lauderdale will address his experiences with living history over the last
twenty-one years. This will include observations of living history as a hobby
and a profession, how living history has changed, and what living history
may look like in the future.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheiemer Theater
Jim Lauderdale, Museum Supervisor, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

                        Concurrent Session I
                           9:00-9:50 a.m.

Handling Challenging Guests and Difficult Situations- A Practical
Workshop
Is training your living history staff how to handle “challenging guests”
(hecklers, know-it-alls, etc.) part of your training? This session will cover
some general situations, give participants an opportunity to role play
common situations, and brainstorm some creative ways to handle
“challenging guest”, “oops” situations, and other interactions and
distractions to your presentations.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Kent Goff, Lead Living History Interpreter, Mississippi Valley Educational
Programs

“When in the Course of Human Events”: The Relevance of the
Declaration of Independence through Living History
Learn and discuss how a simple living history recreation of reading a
historical document can connect strongly to a modern audience. Historic
Washington State Park reads the Declaration of Independence each July
4th and many visitors come out to discuss the document and how it relates
to them today.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
Josh Williams, ALHA President, Curator, Historic Washington State Park

Costume is Not Consent
In the wake of national conversations surrounding harassment and assault,
museums and living history experiences must address these ongoing
issues as they pertain to costumed interpreters. How do we establish
healthy boundaries that ensure positive outcomes for interpreters and
guests alike? How do we communicate behavioral expectations in a way
that leaves room for excitement and curiosity? How do we support
interpreters and provide a safe environment? This session is to both share
stores of experiences, and explore answers to these and more essential
questions.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Lindsey Foster, Historic Interpreter, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

                       Concurrent Sessions II
                         10:00–10:50 a.m.

Let Us Eat Cake!
Have you looked through a 19th Century cookbook and wondered what
Election Cake, Washington Pie, or Chocolate Cake tasted like? Explore
these flavor profiles and various other cakes and frostings in this tasting
session.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Shawnra Greene, Mulberry, Arkansas

Arkansas Made: Historic Foodways
Learn how the Arkansas Made Research Team has used their research
into the historic foodways of early Arkansas to team up with local chefs and

the museum’s Foundation to create four historic foodways dinner that
helped to expand museum visitation and membership.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
AR Made Research Team

Dissecting the Leviathan: Living History, Memory, and the Civil War in
Modern America
The Civil War does not lack public interest or attention, but recent
controversies about how we remember the conflict show that, to remain
relevant, we must present the War to the public in new and different ways.
Traditional narratives have come under heavy critique, and changing
American demographics require that we delve deeper into new areas of
research to engage with younger people and, in some cases, rethink our
received wisdoms about the conflict. This paper will identify some of the
present difficulties surrounding public interpretation of the Civil War and
how living historians can grow and develop their narratives to grapple with
them.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Dr. Carl Drexler, Southern Arkansas University Archeological Station

                      Concurrent Sessions III
                         11:00-11:50 am
Cut the Ropes: Removing Barriers at Living History Museums
This session will address the benefits of removing barriers at living history
museums. In the last 20 years, the museum industry has begun to
understand that our audiences learn things in different ways. As a result,
museums are offering more than lecture style programs and text panels.
Living history museums often lead the way in removing physical barriers
and allowing their audiences to experience the subject matter of the
museum’s exhibits. These experiences often translate to memories that will
mean more to the guest than a souvenir they pick up on their way out the
door. Besides the obvious physical barriers, other barriers that we have the
opportunity to remove will be discussed.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Jim Lauderdale, Museum Supervisor, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum

Time for Video Game Living History?
The current high school generations’ parents and grandparents began to
play video games in the late 1970s, so now is it time to include the
significant impact these games and systems had on our culture,
technology, and social interactions? How do we do programming? Short
history and demonstration.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
Zane Goff, Living History Interpreter, Mississippi Valley Educational
Programs

Humanities Council Grants
Learn how your local Humanities Council can help improve your living
history program. Learn the basics of applying and getting money to help
support your program.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Jama Best, Director, Arkansas Humanities Council

   Saturday Lunch and Southeast ALHFAM Business
                       Meeting
                   12:15–1:30 p.m.

Old State House Museum

                              Field Trips
                            2:00–5:00 p.m.

Plantation Agricultural Museum and Toltec Mounds
Take a trip to Scott, Arkansas, and visit two Arkansas State Parks.
Plantation Agricultural Museum preserves Arkansas’s farming history.
Housed in a series of buildings is the main museum originally built as a
general store in 1912, the Dortch Gin Exhibit containing a 1916 cotton gin,
Seed Warehouse #5 which is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, and a Historic Tractor Exhibit completed in 2018.
Toltec Mounds State Park, a National Historic Landmark, preserves the
largest mound system in Arkansas. It once served as a ceremonial ground

for prehistoric Native Americans. The site provides visitors a chance see to
archeological research at work.
Limit: 40

Arkansas National Guard Museum and Jacksonville Military Museum
The Arkansas National Guard Museum, located on Camp Robinson, tells
the history of the Arkansas National Guard and the militia as well as the
history of Camp Robinson and Camp Pike.
The Jacksonville Military Museum works to teach the public of the
importance of the military and of those on the home front as support to the
military.
The directors of both museums will be present to visit with the groups.
Limit: 20

Downtown Little Rock on your own
Visit Downtown Little Rock museums on your own. Included are Historic
Arkansas Museum, Old State House Museum, and more.

                    Saturday Evening Events
  Bill and Margaret Clark Room, 3rd Floor of the Little Rock River Market
   Pavilion. Dressing in your favorite living history outfit is encouraged.

Silent Action Preview
6:00—7:00 p.m.

Dinner, Dancing, and Live Auction
7:00—9:00 p.m.

Conference Hospitality Room
TBD

Sunday, February 25: Sessions

                                8:00 a.m.
Registration Table Opens – Historic Arkansas Museum

                      Concurrent Session IV
                         9:00–9:50 a.m.
Washboards: Interpreting Lives of Toil or Lives of Freedom?
Interpreters at historic sites often use washboards just to describe how
laundry was done but they can also use washboards to teach their
audiences about the lives of those who did the laundry. Were they poor or
enslaved laundresses? African American women in the Jim Crow era who
were shut out of other jobs? Women who travelled west in covered wagons
to start new, independent lives? Or Chinese immigrants who faced harsh
racism in the West?
Participants will learn how to use washboards or other artifacts to tell the
stories of those who used them and how they connected to their time and
place.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Kate Sprool, Historic Farm keeper, Nashville Zoo at Grassmere

Collaborating with Different Cultures in your Community: Marshall
Islanders in Northwest Arkansas
In this session, the Shiloh Museum education staff will use the Wa Kuk Wa
Jimor (Canoe of One Community) temporary program we implemented this
past spring in partnership with the Arkansas Coalition of Marshall Islanders
in order to showcase the positive outcomes of collaborating with different
cultures in one’s community. The program focused mainly on the history of
the Marshall Islanders in Northwest Arkansas, and bringing various
Marshallese traditions to life on our grounds. By using this program as a
foundation, we intend to discuss: working closely with cultural groups (and
individuals) in order to plan educational programs, research practices,
educating students on sensitive topics, and things we learned throughout
the program that can be used to help others implement similar programs at
their own institution.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House

Kim Hosey, Education Specialist and Weekend Manager, Shiloh Museum
of Ozark History
Judy Costello, Education Manager, Shiloh Museum of Ozark History

Young Folks 101
How do you attract young people to your site? How do you get
teenagers/young people engaged in activities, programs or history in
general? If you cannot answer that question, then this class is for you.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Maya Carrier, Duson, Louisiana

                       Concurrent Session V
                         10:00–10:50 a.m.
Universals in an Ever-Changing World
Those things common to the human experience are called “universals”.
Universals are a constant through time and space. Let’s practice using
them.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Leita Spears, Historic Washington State Park

18th Century Apprentices in a 21st Century World
Several Colonial Williamsburg Apprentices discuss the advantages and
limitations of 18th century trade work in a 21st century museum
environment. The session will begin with a facilitate discussion followed by
time for questions from the audience.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
Sara Palmer, Apprentice Wigmaker, Colonial Williamsburg

Root Hog or DIE, Changing your Sites Interpretation to Survive
From Old House Museum to Living History Farm learn how Hunters Home
is changing its interpretation to adapt to the modern trends in historic site
visitation.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
David Fowler, Site Director, Hunter’s Home

Concurrent Session VI
                        11:00–11:50 a.m.
Creoles of South Louisiana: Three Centuries Strong
Many consider South Louisiana to be “Cajun Country”. Few realize that
Creoles, often mistakenly referred to as “Black Cajuns” or “African-
Americans”, had already established themselves in the Bayou State long
before exiled Cajuns arrived. Why does this occur? How do Creoles
continue to maintain their cultural identity in the face of modernization?
How can we accurately and authentically interpret their rich heritage today?
Using Louisiana’s complex Creole culture as an example, let’s discuss how
historical interpretation has a profound effect on traditional cultures and
their struggle for survival in a modern world.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Ottenheimer Theater
Elista Istre, PhD, Founder and Director, Belle Heritage

Restoration to Education: The Cane Hill Story
Starting programming from the ground up at a historical and recreational
site, for all ages and abilities.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Field House
Laci Shuffield, Director of Parks and Rec, Historic Cane Hill

What do 3-D printed lighted parts, walking tours and a korkor have in
common?
The Shiloh Museum has been very fortunate to work with Education
Accelerated by Service and Technology (EAST) students on a variety of
projects. Working with EAST students has allowed Shiloh to tackle projects
using technology not available otherwise to the museum. Projects that will
be discussed include Marshallese Boat Building, walking tours, and a track
lighting adapter.
Location: Historic Arkansas Museum Classroom
Aaron Loehndorf, Collections/Education Specialist, Shiloh Museum of
Ozark History
                      12:15-1:00
     Arkansas Living History Association Business
                  Meeting and Lunch
              Old State House Museum

Registration
Name ________________________________________________________________

Institution _____________________________________________________________

Address ______________________________________________________________

City _____________________        State _______________   Zip__________________

Daytime Phone # _______________________ Cell # __________________________

Email _________________________________________________________________

Registration:

Full Registration: $75 ($85 after January 25th)                 $ ___________

Saturday Daytime Registration Only: $25 ($35 after January 25th) $ ___________

Saturday Evening Registration Only: $25 ($35 after January 25th) $ ___________

Sunday Registration Only: $20 ($30 after January 25th)           $ ___________

Workshops:
Morning and All Day workshops include lunch, unless otherwise noted.

Friday All Day
ALHA Apprentice $10                                              $ ___________

Friday Half Day Morning
ALHA Journeyman $10                                              $ ___________
Behind the Big House $15                                         $ ___________
Spring Pole Lathe $10                                            $ ___________
Cooking: Breads “Flat, Quick, or Yeast” $15                      $____________

Friday Half Day Afternoon
Social Dancing $10                                               $___________
Teaching with Technology $10                                     $ ___________
Cooking: Sweets and Treats $15                                   $____________

Registration and Workshop Total                                  $ _________

Please list any dietary restrictions (including vegetarian, gluten free, etc.):

Are you bringing an item for the Silent / Live Auction?

Auction items can be dropped off at the conference registration table or mailed to:

Are you a current ALHA member for 2019? Yes No
(If no, please complete membership section on the next page)

Field Trips (Please rank your choices)
__ Plantation Agricultural Museum and Toltec Mounds
__ National Guard and Jacksonville Military
__ Downtown Little Rock

Send registration along with payment to:
Joleen Linson
Arkansas Living History Association
P.O. Box 648
Little Rock, AR 72203

                     Registration Deadline is February 8th 2019

Arkansas Living History Association
                       Membership Registration

Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Institution: ____________________________________________________________________
Position: ______________________________________________________________________
Street: ________________________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP: _______________________________________________________________
Phone: ______________________            Email: _________________________________________
FAX: _______________________             Web site:________________________________________

Type of Membership:
___     Individual: $12 Any adult, 18 yrs of age or older. The member shall have full voting privileges in
        the ALHA as a general member.
___     Group: $50 This covers up to 8 members with full voting privileges. Please attach a list of members
        with all of the above information.
___     Site: $100 This covers an institution or group consisting of 9 or more members. Please attach a list
        of members with all of the above information.
Help us learn more about you.
Periods of Interest: ______________________________________________________________

Areas of Interest: ________________________________________________________________

What you would like to receive from ALHA: (this will help us develop training opportunities, meetings,
workshops, etc.) ___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Please make Checks Payable to: ALHA

Please send Registration along with Payment to:

Arkansas Living History Association
PO Box 648
Little Rock, AR 72203